“brownie_mary”
Brownie Mary
Naked
Blackbird/Sony
At first, this sounds like another Veruca Salt rip-off. The chick’s voice is forceful and a bit caustic, but effective. By the third cut, “Something We Both Know,” all thoughts of this band being just another clinker in the pile are gone.
This Pittsburgh band of three musicians and a female front is versatile and eclectic. Kelsey Barber handles a variety of vocal styles with equal ease, never losing her own identity in the process.
“Butterfly” is a neat number telling us being different is not a sin. The song “Say You Want Me” ponders a relationship in terms of knowing what one wants, as opposed to knowing what the other one wants. “Stop Me” reminds me of the Motels.
Several of the songs contain interesting references. “Memphis” talks about Mulder of X Files fame, and “Great” tells us, “Tom [Petty] was right, the waiting is the hardest part.” The thirteen cuts on this CD are pure power pop, done nice and smooth, with great lyrics and a sexy vocal.
